It was through Carlos Celdran's tweet that I got to know about Galeon Andalucia coming to the Philippines. I really wanted to see it, so I bugged my brother if we can go see it. At first he didn't want to (well, he's always like that), but me seeing the news about the galleon on its first day, it made me bug my brother more, until he finally said yes.
Actually, what made him decide to go for it was because he wanted to check out two places, and knowing we'd pass by Quezon Avenue going to the Manila South Harbor, he must've thought it would be like hitting lotsa birds with one stone.
Sto. Domingo Church. Our first stop for the day. My brother always wanted to visit this church, but we just can't take the time to drop by because of so many reasons. There was a mass when we arrived, so we finished it first before we took pictures of the altar up close. It was quite timing because the La Naval festival is being celebrated this month, although the actual feast day was a few more days before our visit.
Lunch at Ma Mon Luk. From the church, brother and I walked to Ma Mon Luk to eat lunch. Like the Sto. Domingo Church, this was another place we hoped to visit because of its rich history. We both had a bowl of mami, and I also ordered one siopao. Foods were good, but I found it quite expensive. :)
Galeon Andalucia at Pier 13. Brother and I took the jeepney going to Pier 15. We just walked from the Port's entrance to the gym to register for the galleon viewing. We got there 1PM, and we were able to see the galleon around 2:30 or 3PM, because there were just so many people who wanted to see the ship. There were lots of students, too, and because they do it by batch and that they let the students come in first, waiting for our turn took quite longer. Still, we were very lucky because the galleon viewing will be closed by 4PM, and even if there were a lot of people who wanted to see it, they were very strict with the time.
The tour around the galleon was a bit quick, but people were allowed to stay in the grounds for as long as they wanted. Brother and I just took our time enjoying the view, before we left. This picture was taken by a person who graciously asked us to pose for pictures, too, after brother took a picture of him and his family.
Baluarte de San Diego. Watching a travel show that focused on Intramuros has led me to learn about this place. Since then, I really hoped to see it, but I just don't know its exact location. When brother and I left the Manila South Harbor, we were actually about to call it a day, but he decided for us to go to Intramuros. Believe it or not, we walked from Pier 13 (the galleon's location was quite far from the gate) going here! It was really a long walk, and although my feet were already screaming (I wore a pair of rubber shoes, and my feet weren't really used to wearing closed shoes), I appreciated it because my brother was able to let me see a side of the area I don't normally see.
We were supposed to enter, but brother didn't want to pay the P75 entrance fee. He just asked me to go inside if I wanted to (he will just wait), but because I didn't want to go alone and I also didn't want to pay his entrance fee (I am so kurips), we decided to just leave. After all, I can come back anytime.
Early Dinner at Manong Pepe's. I knew it would be rush hour soon, so we decided to eat early dinner first, so if ever we got stuck on traffic, our tummies won't complain. We took a jeep to Lawton, and ate at Manong Pepe's - he had sweet and sour meatballs, I had chicken sa gata. It was quite an upscale carinderia, and although dishes were super affordable, I thought their servings weren't that much.
It was a good decision on our part to have the early dinner, as mom only cooked for herself (knowing we might get home late). Tired as I might be, I really enjoyed this day. I love going out with my brother - he's barely complains, and he's always up for long walks. I sure hope we can do it often.
*** Jenn ***
